Students toured the halls of Marston Hall and were transported to 18 different countries on Wednesday at Iowa State’s College of Engineering International Programs’ Tour the World.

Julia Apple-Smith, program coordinator for engineering undergraduate programs, said “we like to make it a one-shop stop for our international programs.”

Each table in Marston represented a different country. A faculty volunteer placed at each country represented each program, she said.

Wales is the most popular among students, Apple-Smith said.

Thomas Ruzicka, senior in mechanical engineering, went to Swansea, Wales, last fall semester through the Regents’ Program.

“[The university] was on a beautiful bay, and the beach was a stone’s throw away,” he said.

Students can study abroad one of two ways, Ruzicka said. They can do an exchange, in which case a student from Wales comes to Iowa State and the ISU student goes to Wales.

The second way students can travel abroad is through a Regents’ Program. The general requirements include meeting a standard grade point average, filling out the application and selecting courses appropriate for transferring back to Iowa State, he said. Students in Regents’ programs pay ISU tuition for the experience.

Ruzicka had the opportunity “to gain a global view of the world, lean different cultures and travel,” he said. While in Wales, he took astrophysics, statistical physics, advanced strength of materials and high-level math. On weekends he would traveled to various places, including Edinburgh, Scotland, London and Stratford-on-Avon.

In comparison to Wales, Apple-Smith said “Singapore is one of our best kept secrets.”

Mufit Akinc, professor and chairman of materials science and engineering, said he is confident the universities in Singapore have facilities superior to Iowa State’s, which would be beneficial to engineering students.

Most students are comfortable going to England or Wales because it is in their comfort zone; students are less worried about their environment, Akinc said. “Students hear myths, shy away and get discouraged [from going to Singapore],” he said.

When students come back they think differently and are transformed into different people, he said.